Anyone used DE "kit" Razor?

How all! Wood turning has been a hobby of mine for some time, so naturally when I decided to give DE shaving a try I bought a kit from PennState Industries. I finally turned the handle in cocobolo wood and gave it a whirl. Being around $10 I'm sure it is a clone of some sort and is 3 piece. You really have to crank the handle to tighten the top well enough and after a handful of shaves it seems like one side is way more aggressive or a different angle than the other. Has anyone else used these before and have the same experience?

Thank goodness I got a Merkur 34C to start with, not sure I would've stuck with it if I began with this kit...

It could be blade alignment. There may also be some fit issues, where the handle is unable to properly seat tightly, if the thread post is bottoming out before tightening.

I've never used the kit you are referencing, but I have seen similar issues, and heard similar questions, from other "cheap" DE starter razors.

If you are looking for an excellent DE head that performs really well(in my opinion) without costing a lot, check out the Maggard's V3 razor head:

http://www.maggardrazors.com/product/mag...r-head-v3/

This $7 razor head is my favorite DE in my collection, comparing it to an Old Type, Slim adjustable, Super Speed, Merkur 34C, and Merkur 37C. It has "industry standard" thread post so it *should* be able to thread into the handle you turned out of your kit, with little trouble.

Thanks! That's very reasonable, if I place an order with them I will definitely tack one on. I see they have the v3, and v3A aggressive version. My beard is course and while I love how comfortable the Merkur is, I'm also in search of a closer shave. You (or anyone) have comparitive experience with the Maggard v3 vs v3A?

I have a v3 head from maggard's. Very nice head. Clone of an edwin jagger de80 series head but more efficient, slightly more efficient than a 34c merkur I'm told.

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Thanks! That's very reasonable, if I place an order with them I will definitely tack one on. I see they have the v3, and v3A aggressive version. My beard is course and while I love how comfortable the Merkur is, I'm also in search of a closer shave. You (or anyone) have comparative experience with the Maggard v3 vs v3A?

I've never used the V3a. But consider this:

The term "aggressive" does not mean more efficient, nor does it mean "closer shave". It means, simply, wider blade gap. This means a wider range of effective angles, which allows the user with experience to choose the appropriate blade angle for their personal comfort.

"Mild", therefor, does not mean less efficient or lesser ability to provide a close shave, it means simply a more narrow blade gap, which limits both the amount of blade-on-skin contact, and the range of effective blade angle.

"Mild" and "aggressive" have less to do with the efficiency of a given razor than does the proper use of the effective angle.

You can have an extremely mild razor, like a Feather AS-D2 or a Seygus, that perform very well within their effective range. These razors have the ability to provide extremely close and comfortable shaves, they just do so within a very narrow range of effective angles.

With all that said, I find the standard V3 head to perform extremely well, and to be fairly moderate in terms of aggression. It is my "goto" razor for a mindless BBS head shave, meaning it has a very natural and intuitive effective angle, and as long as I maintain that effective angle range, I am rewarded with a very easy and trouble free BBS on my head. No nicks, no weepers, no leftover stubble, and no need for either 4-5 passes(too mild) or extreme care(too aggressive).

As with everything in this hobby...YMMV...but that's my experience...

Very good point. The good thing is at that price I'll try the v3, and down the road it wouldn't be cost prohibitive to try the v3A if desired! I read somewhere a lot of the "kit" razors are EJ clones but I've never owned one so wouldn't know. That probably doesn't matter anyway if it is cheap/has alignment issues right?

Thanks! That's very reasonable, if I place an order with them I will definitely tack one on. I see they have the v3, and v3A aggressive version. My beard is course and while I love how comfortable the Merkur is, I'm also in search of a closer shave. You (or anyone) have comparitive experience with the Maggard v3 vs v3A?

I have both and I think they're both pretty similar in terms of efficiency, "for me". The V3A just provides more blade feel, so as BadDad mentioned, you have to be a little more careful with the angle. FWIW, the Maggard V3 is also a clone of the Edwin Jagger DE89.